Automatic gas-controller.



No. 659,248. Patented on. 9, I900.

, w. s. MILLER. AUTOMATIC GAS CONTRDLLER. (Application flld,Nov. 20,IBEQ.)

(No Ilodal.)

ATTEET lnvsnrmm BY 7 7. ATTY TNE cams PETERS co. mom-Luna" WASHINGTON.n. c.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM GORDON MILLER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC GAS-CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 659,248, dated October9,

Application filed November 20, 1899. Serial No. 7 37,708. LNo model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM GORDON MIL- LER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Gas-Controllers; and I do declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to automatic gas-controllers for instantaneouswater-heaters.

The invention consists in an expansible or elastic controller and itscombinations, substantially as shown and described, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective elevation of afixture or heater embodying my invention with a portion of the shellsectioned away to disclose the burner in part. Fig. 2 is a sectionalelevation of the controller-chamber understood to be present in Fig.1,but considerably enlarged, and showing also portions of the water andthe gas connections, respectively and a longitudinal section of thecontroller itself coupled up for use. Fig. 3 is a perspective elevationof the controller alone.

A represents the casing of the fixture or heater, and B the gas-burnertherein.

0 represents the water pipe or pipes, and D the gas pipe or pipes, and Eis the gas-controlling chamber,with which the several pipes O and D,respectively, are connected at right angles to each other, as hereshown. The chamber E is preferably cylindrical in crosssection. Any goodmechanical way may be ad opted to connect these pipes with the chamberE; but in this instance the gas-pipes D are threaded into bosses onopposite sides of said chamber, while the pipes C have flanges 0,through which they are bolted to flanges d on the chamber.

G is the gas or fluid controller, consisting of an elastic expansible ordistensible tube of a good quality of india-rubber and of a length toreach through chamber E from side to side and continue the Water-channelbetween the pipes C. At its extremities the said tube has flanges g,adapted to come between the flanges 0 and d, respectively, and to formgaskets which make a thoroughly-tight joint, and as a further feature ofconstruction the opposite pipes C have each an extension 0 inside itsflange c, which presses the tube G against the neck (1 to extend outwardfrom the wall of the chamber, and besides serving to pack the tubeaffords a firm bearing therefor on both sides flush up with the innerwall of the chamber. A direct and unobstructed th roughpassage is thusafforded for the water,and at right angles to this is the passage forthe gas,with its inlet and its outlet to and from chamber E, centrallyopposite each other in this instance and preferably; but they may beanywhere in the wall of the chamber opposite the middle of thecontroller and might both be on the same side. This brings said openingsin any event in position ,to be covered and hermetically closed by thecontroller when under the influence of the expanding fluid within, andthe controller is distended or inflated from the plain tubular shapeseen-in full lines to the substantially globular or spherical shape seenin dotted lines, Fig. 2. Of course with a good quality of rubber thisexpansive action can be obtained with considerably-less pressure than isordinarily present in a service-pipe,

and, in fact, it has been found that such expansion can be obtained tothe complete cutting off of the gas-flow by only the'several pounds ofback pressure in the service-pipe when the cock has been closed; but itis desirable, also, that the controller should be responsive in theopposite direction, so as to promptly open the gas passages or ducts forstarting the heater when the water-cock H is opened. To this end thecontroller is made phragm 2, integral or separate, concave on its innerside particularly to conform to the circumference of the controller whendistended, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, and these diaphragms areprovided with holes to afford ample room for the flow of gas.

J represents a valve in the water-service pipe or passage adaptedto-close under back pressureand confine the water within undersufficient pressure to keep the gas-passages closed in case it shouldoccur that unusual draft were made on the water without said valve.

\Vhile I have herein shown and described the controller and its box orchamber in connection with a water-heater, it is evident from theirconstruction and operation that their use is not necessarily thuslimited and that they may he em ployed'to control the flow of a liquidas well as a gas or vapor, and that the distending or motor elementinstead of being water under pressure might be some other liquid, air,gas, or vapor under pressure. The use of the term fluid, therefore, isto be understood herein as covering water, air, gas, or any other likeelement which can be confined under pressure and used for motivepurposes within the controller or to be controlled thereby.

The materiality and advantage of the fore.- going construction will nowbe apparent,.especially as compared with piston valves, which are nowcommon in this art. In the use of a piston-valve the main pressure isalways on the under side of the valve, while the water in the pipesbeyond or above the piston is on the opposite side. Therefore what everwater is above the piston becomes a back weight or pressure on thepiston, and in low main pressures this back pressure may practicallycounterbalance the main pressure, and thus defeat the entire operation;but in the case of my present invention the weight of the column ofwater in coil and pipe operates, in conjunction with the main or workingpressure, to distend the controller, and, in fact, the column or backpressure alone is found in many instances to be sufiicient to operatethe device, and this, too, in cases where the device would be entirelyuseless for the time if it were not responsive to pressure of this kind.

What I claim is- 1. A fluid-controlling device comprising a suitablechamber having gas inlet and outlet passages, a fluid-conduit throughsaid chamber com prising an expansible tube, said tube adapted to openand close the gas-outlet passage, substantially as described.

2. A chamber with inlets and outlets for water and gas, respectively,and a tubular controller for the gas-outlet in open relation at its endswith the water inlets and outlets and adapted to expand to close thegas-outlet, substantially as described.

3. The chamber having inlet and outlet openings for gas, and afluid-conduit through said chamber having an expausible tube extendingacross the chamber in such relations to the gas-outlet opening as toclose the same when expanded, substantially as described.

4. In fluid-controlling devices,'a chamber having inlet and outletpassages midway between its ends and a distensible member arranged atright angles to said passages and its ends coupled. up for the passageof a pressure fluid, substantially as described.

5. The chamber having two sets of fluid inlets and outlets, and anelastic member having its ends coupled up with one each of said inletsand outlets and constructed to expand andclose'the other inlet andoutletunder internal pressure, and service-pipes united with all said inletsand outlets, substantially as described.

6. A chamber having gas inlets and outlets and water inletsand outletsat right angles to each other, and pipes connectedtherewith, and adistensiblemember coupled up to complete the Water connection throughsaid chamber and adapted when expanded to close the gas-outlet,substantially as described.

7. In an instantaneous heater, a water-service pipe and an expansibletube set into said pipe, a wall inclosing said tube and normallyseparate therefrom and an inlet and an outlet for gasin said wall, theoutlet being at right angles to the axis of the expansible tube,substantially as described.

8. The chamber having gas inlet and outlet openings and perforateddiaphragms over said openings, and an expansible tubular member forminga fluid-conduit through said chamber and adapted to bear against saidoutlet when expanded, substantially as described.

9. The chamber having a water and a-gas inlet and a Water and a gasoutlet, the water service-pipes connected with the water inlet andoutlet and the elastic tube coupled up with saidpipes and arranged toclose the gasoutlet when expanded, and a back-pressure valve in thewater service-passage through said pipes and tube, substantially asdescribed.

10. In a fluid-controlling device, an elastic and expansible tube havingflanges at its ends, in combination with a cylindrical chamber havingends with necks in which said tube is supported and having agas-inletand a gasoutlet midway between its ends adapted to be closed by saidtube when expanded, substantially as described.

Witness my hand tothe foregoing specification this 9th day. of November,1899.

WILLIAM GORDON MILLER.

Witnesses:

H. T. FISHER, R. B. MOSER.

